The other day only Cameron, Jarom and I were home. Cameron and Jarom kept hiding from each other. I went into the upstairs bathroom. I knew Jarom was hiding in there somewhere. I thought he was in the shower. I opened the door and no Jarom. Where on earth could he be? There aren’t that many places to hide in the bathroom – it’s not that big. So, I start opening the cupboard doors. He’s hiding in the towel cupboard, which is about 4 feet off the ground and not very big. He had contorted his 5’8” frame into the tiny cupboard.
“I didn’t know you fit in there,” I told him.
“Not as well as I used to,” was his response.
“I take it that’s not the first time you’ve been in there,” I said.
“Yeah.”
All these years and I never knew. Of course, I couldn’t say much because there was a time in my life that I thought the funnest thing in the whole world was swinging from the rod in my closet. Yeah, I don’t know if my parents ever knew that. At least I wasn’t very big (maybe 5 years old?) and the rod was pretty strong. I also liked to clear out everything in my closet and “camp out” in it. I guess Jarom and I ARE a lot alike.
David is doing better every day, but still tired. He told me this morning, “My energy level drops about 3 or 4 times a day – it used to drop only about once or twice a day.”
“You’re still getting over being very sick!” I told him.
Oh, yeah, I guess he forgot about that.
Meagan found out that she got a Pell Grant so she can start college in the fall. Yay! I guess now she just needs to sign up for classes. They wouldn’t tell her the amount of the grant over the phone, just that she got one. It’s a relief. I just heard the door open, I think Meagan just got home from bowling with her friends.
Cameron, Jarom, Amber and David went out to Bountiful with me today. They played D&D with David (confusing, I know) while I muscle tested with Sheri. Then David guided me through buying components for a new computer. I’m so excited! We’re going to have a decent computer that will actually be worth getting high speed internet on. Woo hoo!
Meagan is very sad that MJ died today. Poor Mikey. Meagan and I have been reading articles about him on the internet. Michael Jackson is one of Meagie’s favorites. He is pretty good. Better than a lot of stuff that’s out there. His music and videos hold up amazingly well even years later.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
David Update
The day after Meagan's graduation, David started feeling sick. Maybe Cameron gave it to him? Maybe it was all the stress of his little girl growing up? Who knows. For just over a week, he moped around home, feeling sick. I took him to two different doctors and they each gave him a prescription for anti-biotics (my favorite!). The first doctor said it was bronchitis. The second said it was pneumonia. He also said that David eating grapefruit made the first anti-biotic not work. That was probably the first time this year David had eaten grapefruit. Anyway, for whatever reason, the bronchitis progressed to pneumonia.
Finally, I took David to the ER on Sunday morning because he just wasn't getting better. Sunday morning must be a good time to go to the ER. We didn't even have to wait. They took David right in. There was NOBODY in the waiting room, which, if you've ever been to the ER before, is amazing. The ER doctors said they didn't know anything about grapefruit rendering that particular anti-biotic invalid, but perhaps it was possible. They ran lots and lots of tests on him and decided to check him in to the hospital. We figured as much. David packed a hospital bag before we left.
I hung around the hospital until Sunday evening, then came home and soaked in the tub. I went to work half a day on Monday, then went back to the hospital. The official diagnosis was that David had pneumonia, influenza A and a fungus growing at the back of his throat. Like our neighbor said, "Hey, if you're going to get sick, you might as well get it all over with at once." He ought to know. He's been in and out of the hospital a lot the past few months between surgeries and recovery. They gave David the same drug they've been giving the patients with swine flu, even though he never tested positive for it. I guess they've had enough false negatives, they're being overly cautious now?
I hung out at the hospital for several hours on Monday, then decided I should go home and see what the kids were up to. Meagan started her externship with Dr. Ferre the Monday after school got out, so I've been getting her up early most weekday mornings. She's worked there 5 days now, I believe, so she's about 1/3 of the way done. I got to wear a mask my entire time at the hospital on Monday. That was fun. I hate masks. Meagan did not feel sorry for me. "I've been wearing one at work all day," she told me. "You get used to it." I guess I didn't wear one long enough to get used to it. It was really annoying when I had it adjusted wrong and it steamed up my glasses.
Tuesday I didn't have to work, but I stalled going to the hospital because I didn't want to wear a mask again. Turns out, I didn't have to! When I got there at about 1:00 pm, David greeted me with, "You should have been here an hour ago, they were going to let me check out!" Of course, checking out of a hospital is never a quick and easy prospect. Even when they say, "Oh, sure, you can check out now," it still takes a few hours. At least David got to eat lunch at the hospital. I knew he was getting better when he was complaining about being hungry and bored. We spent most of Tuesday afternoon looking out the window at the cars, people and the helicopter moving around the hospital parking lot. David was on the 8th floor, so he had a good view.
Tom, the nurse who checked him out of the hospital reminded me of Christopher. When he came in to take out David's iv, he had 2 rolls of coflex. "Which color do you want, bright green or bright pink?" "It doesn't matter," David replied. Tom came over with the pink coflex and a big smile. "Of course you chose the pink," I told him. "It's funner that way!" he said. Yup. I can see Pherphy doing that.
I think David's favorite person in the hospital was Natalie. She was his CNA Tuesday night. The dinner they gave him was not very big and he was starving. He asked her if she could get him a hamburger and fries. "I guess I could go downstairs and get that for you," she said. A half hour later, she was back with a burger and fries and David was very, very happy. Of course, the next day, Tom came in and told David he needs to eat a low-fat, low-sodium diet. I'm not sure he's doing that.
When I checked David out, I had to buy him a bunch of prescriptions. That's when I noticed I'd lost my checkbook. No big deal, I thought, I'm just not looking in the right spot in my purse. So I paid with my credit card. When we got home and I still couldn't find it, I panicked. So did David, because he was starving again and I wouldn't go buy food until I'd found my checkbook. Good news is, I found it. (I even cleaned up the bedroom a bit and took a big box and 3 bags of stuff to the DI. Are you shocked, Sheri?) It took me a couple of hours, but I found it. Tuesday also happened to be Amber's birthday. She didn't get much of a celebration, but we did manage to cook some frozen pizzas and have cake and ice cream.
I'm really glad June is almost over. This has not been my favorite June. I am glad, however, that we are all doing much better now. I may even catch up on my sleep soon!
Finally, I took David to the ER on Sunday morning because he just wasn't getting better. Sunday morning must be a good time to go to the ER. We didn't even have to wait. They took David right in. There was NOBODY in the waiting room, which, if you've ever been to the ER before, is amazing. The ER doctors said they didn't know anything about grapefruit rendering that particular anti-biotic invalid, but perhaps it was possible. They ran lots and lots of tests on him and decided to check him in to the hospital. We figured as much. David packed a hospital bag before we left.
I hung around the hospital until Sunday evening, then came home and soaked in the tub. I went to work half a day on Monday, then went back to the hospital. The official diagnosis was that David had pneumonia, influenza A and a fungus growing at the back of his throat. Like our neighbor said, "Hey, if you're going to get sick, you might as well get it all over with at once." He ought to know. He's been in and out of the hospital a lot the past few months between surgeries and recovery. They gave David the same drug they've been giving the patients with swine flu, even though he never tested positive for it. I guess they've had enough false negatives, they're being overly cautious now?
I hung out at the hospital for several hours on Monday, then decided I should go home and see what the kids were up to. Meagan started her externship with Dr. Ferre the Monday after school got out, so I've been getting her up early most weekday mornings. She's worked there 5 days now, I believe, so she's about 1/3 of the way done. I got to wear a mask my entire time at the hospital on Monday. That was fun. I hate masks. Meagan did not feel sorry for me. "I've been wearing one at work all day," she told me. "You get used to it." I guess I didn't wear one long enough to get used to it. It was really annoying when I had it adjusted wrong and it steamed up my glasses.
Tuesday I didn't have to work, but I stalled going to the hospital because I didn't want to wear a mask again. Turns out, I didn't have to! When I got there at about 1:00 pm, David greeted me with, "You should have been here an hour ago, they were going to let me check out!" Of course, checking out of a hospital is never a quick and easy prospect. Even when they say, "Oh, sure, you can check out now," it still takes a few hours. At least David got to eat lunch at the hospital. I knew he was getting better when he was complaining about being hungry and bored. We spent most of Tuesday afternoon looking out the window at the cars, people and the helicopter moving around the hospital parking lot. David was on the 8th floor, so he had a good view.
Tom, the nurse who checked him out of the hospital reminded me of Christopher. When he came in to take out David's iv, he had 2 rolls of coflex. "Which color do you want, bright green or bright pink?" "It doesn't matter," David replied. Tom came over with the pink coflex and a big smile. "Of course you chose the pink," I told him. "It's funner that way!" he said. Yup. I can see Pherphy doing that.
I think David's favorite person in the hospital was Natalie. She was his CNA Tuesday night. The dinner they gave him was not very big and he was starving. He asked her if she could get him a hamburger and fries. "I guess I could go downstairs and get that for you," she said. A half hour later, she was back with a burger and fries and David was very, very happy. Of course, the next day, Tom came in and told David he needs to eat a low-fat, low-sodium diet. I'm not sure he's doing that.
When I checked David out, I had to buy him a bunch of prescriptions. That's when I noticed I'd lost my checkbook. No big deal, I thought, I'm just not looking in the right spot in my purse. So I paid with my credit card. When we got home and I still couldn't find it, I panicked. So did David, because he was starving again and I wouldn't go buy food until I'd found my checkbook. Good news is, I found it. (I even cleaned up the bedroom a bit and took a big box and 3 bags of stuff to the DI. Are you shocked, Sheri?) It took me a couple of hours, but I found it. Tuesday also happened to be Amber's birthday. She didn't get much of a celebration, but we did manage to cook some frozen pizzas and have cake and ice cream.
I'm really glad June is almost over. This has not been my favorite June. I am glad, however, that we are all doing much better now. I may even catch up on my sleep soon!
Friday, June 05, 2009
Meagan, High School Graduate
I can't believe my cute little Meagan is a High School graduate. She made it! Actually, I knew she would. She is a good student and a very intelligent girl.
We had a family party before her graduation and I ate WAY too much food. It was all really good, but I ate too much! Now I’m eating ginger chews to calm down my stomach. It was fun, though. Most of her aunts and uncles, several of her cousins and her grandparents and adopted grandparents came. It was nice to see everyone.
We left kind of late for her graduation and traffic was crazy. Most of the way it was almost a standstill. I was beginning to think Meagan wasn't going to make it to her own graduation. She was supposed to be there at 6:30 and got there about 6:50. Apparently a lot of graduates made it there after Meagan did, because they were in order of their arrival and Meagan was about the middle of the girls.
We almost didn't find a seat. We had to sit near the front by the curtains. It was a good thing we got seats, because David ran out of oxygen about half way through the program. He did make it home ok. I even backed out the suburban without smashing into any cars in the crowded parking lot. I was soooo proud of myself! Thankfully mom and dad searched for Meagan after graduation and brought her home so I could get David home to some oxygen.
I couldn't believe how many leis some of the Polynesian students had on. One of them, you couldn't even see her face. I told David we'd have to start our own tradition. I'm just not sure what...
Meagan's friend Radley (she had her Dental class with him) gave a very random talk about perserverance. One of the examples he gave was the Black Knight from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." I'm not sure he's really a good example of perserverance, but people did pay attention. Ray would have been proud that he quoted Harvey Dent from "The Dark Knight." Too bad Harvey ends up being a bad guy...
Whew! It's over. Now I can breathe! I have no idea how I'm going to survive my kids’ weddings, mission farewells and so forth. I told David we're hiring a caterer for the weddings...at least we can have the receptions at the church...
We had a family party before her graduation and I ate WAY too much food. It was all really good, but I ate too much! Now I’m eating ginger chews to calm down my stomach. It was fun, though. Most of her aunts and uncles, several of her cousins and her grandparents and adopted grandparents came. It was nice to see everyone.
We left kind of late for her graduation and traffic was crazy. Most of the way it was almost a standstill. I was beginning to think Meagan wasn't going to make it to her own graduation. She was supposed to be there at 6:30 and got there about 6:50. Apparently a lot of graduates made it there after Meagan did, because they were in order of their arrival and Meagan was about the middle of the girls.
We almost didn't find a seat. We had to sit near the front by the curtains. It was a good thing we got seats, because David ran out of oxygen about half way through the program. He did make it home ok. I even backed out the suburban without smashing into any cars in the crowded parking lot. I was soooo proud of myself! Thankfully mom and dad searched for Meagan after graduation and brought her home so I could get David home to some oxygen.
I couldn't believe how many leis some of the Polynesian students had on. One of them, you couldn't even see her face. I told David we'd have to start our own tradition. I'm just not sure what...
Meagan's friend Radley (she had her Dental class with him) gave a very random talk about perserverance. One of the examples he gave was the Black Knight from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." I'm not sure he's really a good example of perserverance, but people did pay attention. Ray would have been proud that he quoted Harvey Dent from "The Dark Knight." Too bad Harvey ends up being a bad guy...
Whew! It's over. Now I can breathe! I have no idea how I'm going to survive my kids’ weddings, mission farewells and so forth. I told David we're hiring a caterer for the weddings...at least we can have the receptions at the church...
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Shruberies
Here's what I've found out about landscaping:
When you go to the nursery (or Home Depot or wherever) to buy plants, make sure you get all the other stuff the plant tag says you'll need at the same time. Like soil amendment, mulch, fertilizer, etc. etc. Otherwise you make lots of trips to the store and it takes forever to get your plants planted. We bought a shrub a week and a half ago that I have yet to get planted. Now that I have everything, I'm going to plant it tomorrow.
I learned something a couple of years ago, too, thanks to Anna. When you plant a new plant, you've got to water it every day for the first summer, or it will die. No wonder the crimson pygmy barberry bushes I planted all died. And the little pine trees. And lots of other stuff.
I like flower bulbs. They're pretty hard to mess up. You don't have to water them every day. The only thing I don't like about bulbs is that they look really pretty for a few weeks, then they die and look bad and weeds grow up and take their place. Ack! That, and you have to dig them up every few years and thin them out.
I'll have to tell you what Bro. Tuia told David and me about growing grass (as in lawn, not drugs) and fertilizing gardens. But that's for another day. Guten nacht!
When you go to the nursery (or Home Depot or wherever) to buy plants, make sure you get all the other stuff the plant tag says you'll need at the same time. Like soil amendment, mulch, fertilizer, etc. etc. Otherwise you make lots of trips to the store and it takes forever to get your plants planted. We bought a shrub a week and a half ago that I have yet to get planted. Now that I have everything, I'm going to plant it tomorrow.
I learned something a couple of years ago, too, thanks to Anna. When you plant a new plant, you've got to water it every day for the first summer, or it will die. No wonder the crimson pygmy barberry bushes I planted all died. And the little pine trees. And lots of other stuff.
I like flower bulbs. They're pretty hard to mess up. You don't have to water them every day. The only thing I don't like about bulbs is that they look really pretty for a few weeks, then they die and look bad and weeds grow up and take their place. Ack! That, and you have to dig them up every few years and thin them out.
I'll have to tell you what Bro. Tuia told David and me about growing grass (as in lawn, not drugs) and fertilizing gardens. But that's for another day. Guten nacht!
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Sunday Doings: "New" Ward, Seminary Graduation, Cameron's Ordination
On Sunday our ward got combined with another ward. Now my cousin John and his family are in my ward. We haven't met together yet, that's this coming Sunday. Should be interesting.
We're wondering what's going to happen to our "assigned" seating. We have been sitting in the same pew for years. I wonder if we'll get to keep it? I guess it depends on how early we get to church. Since church is at 9:00 am, there's not much chance of us getting there early. When church was at 1:00 pm we got there about the same time as the organist - about 20 minutes before church started - but now we're lucky if we get there during the opening hymn. Especially on days David has an early morning meeting and I get to herd all the kids out of the house by myself. I'm pretty sure Cameron's not going to get to sit on a pew all by himself anymore. He usually sits on the pew in front of the rest of us.
Meagan graduated from Seminary and Cameron was ordained a priest the same day our wards were combined. It was quite the Sunday. Seminary graduation was good. The Stake President spoke about Joseph Smith going to the grove, thinking the only answer he was going to get was what church to join, not that none of them were true. He also spoke about not leaving the church, because that's where safety is. The CES representative spoke about horseback riding and that living life is going to bring you challenges, but the gospel can help you face those challenges.
Meagan was the only graduate from our ward at the graduation. There was one other graduate from our ward, but she wasn't there. Meagan barely made it through this last year of seminary. There were a couple of girls that sat next to her in seminary that really bothered her. Luckily her teacher changed the seating chart so Meagan could stand to go.
Cameron was ordained a priest under the direction of our brand new bishop. The new bishop (who is from the ward we combined with, so he doesn't really know us) had Cameron go around the room and introduce everybody. Aunt Holly mentioned that whatever you do, don't let Cameron hug you.
After Cameron was ordained, he went around the room and shook hands with or hugged everyone in the room. He hugged our recently released bishop, looked at the new bishop and said, "Oh, why not? I'll give you a hug too." Then he proceeded to hug the bishop, lift him up off the floor and swing him around. The bishop is probably in his 60's, so he's not exactly young. He was a bit surprised, but seems to have survived Cameron's wild hug.
You have to remember that this is the same boy, who, when Meagan was having her Baptism interview with the bishop, blurted out his own answer to, "Do you know what happens when you get baptized?" The question was directed at Meagan, but Cameron answered before she could: "First they take you in the water, then they grab your feet and pull you under..."
The bishop started laughing (this was Bishop Hymas who pinched one of the Wisemen on the bum at our ward Christmas program) and wanted Cameron to continue. I think Cameron was sincere, but with the bishop's reaction, he froze up and wouldn't tell the rest of his answer. I think Meagan was kind of scared. I had to assure her that wasn't really going to happen.
This is also the same Cameron who told me several years ago that the Pilgrims invented the lightbulb. I asked him how they did that. "They went to the beach and got lots of sand. They stuck the sand together with scotch tape and made the very first lightbulb," he replied. Very creative. I miss that boy! (But the Cameron who's around now is pretty entertaining, too. I guess I'll keep him.)
We're wondering what's going to happen to our "assigned" seating. We have been sitting in the same pew for years. I wonder if we'll get to keep it? I guess it depends on how early we get to church. Since church is at 9:00 am, there's not much chance of us getting there early. When church was at 1:00 pm we got there about the same time as the organist - about 20 minutes before church started - but now we're lucky if we get there during the opening hymn. Especially on days David has an early morning meeting and I get to herd all the kids out of the house by myself. I'm pretty sure Cameron's not going to get to sit on a pew all by himself anymore. He usually sits on the pew in front of the rest of us.
Meagan graduated from Seminary and Cameron was ordained a priest the same day our wards were combined. It was quite the Sunday. Seminary graduation was good. The Stake President spoke about Joseph Smith going to the grove, thinking the only answer he was going to get was what church to join, not that none of them were true. He also spoke about not leaving the church, because that's where safety is. The CES representative spoke about horseback riding and that living life is going to bring you challenges, but the gospel can help you face those challenges.
Meagan was the only graduate from our ward at the graduation. There was one other graduate from our ward, but she wasn't there. Meagan barely made it through this last year of seminary. There were a couple of girls that sat next to her in seminary that really bothered her. Luckily her teacher changed the seating chart so Meagan could stand to go.
Cameron was ordained a priest under the direction of our brand new bishop. The new bishop (who is from the ward we combined with, so he doesn't really know us) had Cameron go around the room and introduce everybody. Aunt Holly mentioned that whatever you do, don't let Cameron hug you.
After Cameron was ordained, he went around the room and shook hands with or hugged everyone in the room. He hugged our recently released bishop, looked at the new bishop and said, "Oh, why not? I'll give you a hug too." Then he proceeded to hug the bishop, lift him up off the floor and swing him around. The bishop is probably in his 60's, so he's not exactly young. He was a bit surprised, but seems to have survived Cameron's wild hug.
You have to remember that this is the same boy, who, when Meagan was having her Baptism interview with the bishop, blurted out his own answer to, "Do you know what happens when you get baptized?" The question was directed at Meagan, but Cameron answered before she could: "First they take you in the water, then they grab your feet and pull you under..."
The bishop started laughing (this was Bishop Hymas who pinched one of the Wisemen on the bum at our ward Christmas program) and wanted Cameron to continue. I think Cameron was sincere, but with the bishop's reaction, he froze up and wouldn't tell the rest of his answer. I think Meagan was kind of scared. I had to assure her that wasn't really going to happen.
This is also the same Cameron who told me several years ago that the Pilgrims invented the lightbulb. I asked him how they did that. "They went to the beach and got lots of sand. They stuck the sand together with scotch tape and made the very first lightbulb," he replied. Very creative. I miss that boy! (But the Cameron who's around now is pretty entertaining, too. I guess I'll keep him.)
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